TEXAS CABLE OPERATORS AND HISTORY® SALUTE MILITARY VETERANS THROUGH EDUCATION INITIATIVE THAT LINKS STUDENTS WITH VETS

In connection with Veterans Day, Texas cable operators, with support from the Texas Cable Association (TCA), are honoring the state’s military veterans and helping them share their stories with Texas schoolchildren as part of cable programmer HISTORY’s annual Take a Veteran to School initiative.

A number of Texas legislators and other elected officials are expected to participate in programs held in their local communities from Nov. 6-11.

This is the eighth year for Take a Veteran to School, HISTORY’s premier public affairs outreach program that connects veterans with students in schools and communities nationwide. TCA member companies have participated each year.

“Our cable members look forward every year to participating in the Take a Veteran to School program in order to give our state’s veterans the recognition they deserve, as well as to help history come alive for local schools as part of cable’s commitment to education,” said Kirsten Voinis, communications director for TCA. “We thank local schools for letting us bring this HISTORY program to their students, and we thank participating elected officials who help make the events a tremendous success.”

In Texas, Cable One, Charter Communications, Suddenlink and Time Warner Cable will host Take a Veteran to School programs throughout this and next week at a number of schools, including: Madison Middle School in Abilene; Austin Middle School in Amarillo; Paredes Middle School in Austin; Kemp Elementary School and Henderson Elementary School in Bryan; Naumann Elementary in Cedar Park; Del Valle Middle School in Del Valle; Trinity Springs Middle School in Fort Worth; Forbes Middle School and Georgetown ISD’s office in Georgetown; Dr. Hesiquio Rodriguez Elementary School and Zavala Elementary School in Harlingen; Lubbock Cooper High School in Lubbock; Ross Elementary School in Odessa; Glenn Middle School in San Angelo; and Taft Junior High School in Taft. A Take a Veteran to School event also will be held Nov. 7 at halftime of the Rudder High School vs. Bryan High School football game in Bryan.

Although each school designs and holds its own specific program connected with Take a Veteran to School, each event will honor and feature local veterans who share their stories with the students and, in return, receive a heartfelt “thank you” for their service.

In 2014, more than 5,000 schools in all 50 states are expected to participate. As part of this campaign, HISTORY offers participating schools curriculum-based educational materials at www.veterans.com as well as short videos and additional resources, all provided free-of-charge. Part of the network’s Mission to Honor campaign, HISTORY partners with a wide range of non-profits on this campaign including The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Team Rubicon, Got Your 6 and The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

“We are so pleased to be working with the Texas Cable Association and Texas cable operators to honor veterans across Texas,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, chief historian and SVP, Corporate Outreach for HISTORY. “As part of this program, students will not only learn about Veterans Day, but they will also learn important life lessons about service and commitment. And in the process, the veterans will receive a well-deserved thank you from all of us.”

From Nov. 10-11, HISTORY, TCA and Texas cable operators encourage the public to thank veterans from all branches of the service on Twitter using the hash tag #THANKAVET. A special website located at www.history.com/thank-a-vet houses the Twitter feed, making it easy for anyone to type in their Tweet and honor those who have served.

HISTORY®, now reaching more than 98 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hit series including American Pickers®, American Restoration™, Ax Men™, Counting Cars™, Pawn Stars®, Swamp People® and The Legend of Shelby the Swamp Man as well as HISTORY®’s first scripted series Vikings, and epic miniseries and special programming such as The Bible and the Emmy® Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Men Who Built America, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us® and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY® website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY®’s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com. For more press information and photography, please visit us at http://press.aenetworks.com.